Stars Are Beautiful Things
by Hikari Takaishi
Summary: After seven months of "retirement," I have returned with the second chapter of SABT. The messenger is delivering letters to Hikari's friends, but what do they mean? And why does Jyou suddenly become so distant?
1. Stars Are Beautiful Things Pt. 1

Stars Are Beautiful Things ****

Stars Are Beautiful Things

Red flags hung lifelessly on brown poles throughout the silent hills. Bodies of the once brave warriors were just as still as the banners and just as red. Only moments ago had they signaled to warn their home village of the arriving soldiers, but the message never got sent. There laid the strongest warriors ever known, dead from the attack from the west. These new mercenaries were unlike any other; they had a passion to kill all that had laid in their path, they had a passion to seek and destroy the most powerful kingdom remaining in the land… Ten'Rando.

These groups of men were called the Henran. They feared nothing but the words of the augur that said that a Ten'Rando warrior would weaken them. Though strong, they were somewhat cautious of the words given by a fortuneteller. When word was delivered to the leader, Enrai Kuro, or Black Thunder, that it was time to take control of the land, he sent his men to kill. And kill they did. Five great emperors fell to the weapons of the Henran as they slowly spread their way to the east. It was only a matter of time before they reached their destination.

A large man mounted on a black steed peered down the green and now red hills. Smiling in satisfactory he checked each man lying dead on the fields. None of them who were dead were his. His dark eyes shifted behind him, to his rows of men awaiting quietly and respectively. Behind them the town with some of the most talented warriors was burning to the ground from flames of hatred. The remaining townspeople huddled against each other, some in grips of the men, and the leader raised his arm to his chin. 

Without words the men steadied their swords to the necks of the victims. When his hand brushed against his skin, the men prepared to exterminate the remaining people of the town.

"Hikari?"

A fragile but healthy looking young lady glanced up from the palms of her hands. Her caramel eyes first cast their sight on the stone walls in front of her, then shot to the familiar blue-haired man who stood impatiently beside her. After a brief moment of gathering her attention, she smiled an innocent grin and shrugged her shoulders; "Forgive me… I was just thinking of the flowers."

"Keep your mind on your studies," he frowned, not amused of her purity act. "Or your father will have me sent to the keeper. And he would think that I only accepted this offer of tutoring to get close to his daughter." He eyed the girl who was giving him a surprised look, "Do not get any ideas, Hikari -- I know you are, so push those away and pay attention."

Hikari folded her hands together and blinked her attention to her tutor-friend. For years she had learned from the wise man who was only four years older than she was. From the arithmetic tests to the reading exams, she learned from who she thought was the best. Her brother also thought highly of him and he, too, took lessons of knowledge. This seemingly wise prophet was respected for his intelligence and keen sense in medicine. His name was Kido Jyou, a tutor to Hikari and a good friend to her brother, Yagami Taichi.

"There are things to know about the world, Hikari," Jyou announced and paced himself to the chalkboard in front of the room. His right hand lifted a piece of chalk while his left held a large, old looking book. Scribbling a few words down he added, "And I am the person who has to enlighten you about it all. It is very vast, very deep. Think of it as an ocean. The ripples you see far away are the new days of the year; the waves that you see near the surface are the incidents that occur, the bad things in life. And the traces of water on the sand is the memories you have left in your mind."

"Jyou?" Hikari squirmed in her seat.

"So as you develop your mind and…" he continued, unaware that she had spoken with her soft tone.

"Jyou?" she asked again, a little louder. 

He arched a brow and turned to face her, "What is it?"

"Can I be excused? We have not had a break for a while… and the chair is not what I call snug."

With a nod, the teenage girl rose from her seat, dusted off her simple white dress and slid out of the room silently. She walked down the corridors of the home she lived in. Each wall was decorated with candles and the walkway was underneath a red carpet. It would have been like royalty if it weren't for the fact that they were but residents in the castle. 

Her family served for the king. Jyou was in a higher class than they were but Hikari and Taichi never knew that Jyou preferred to tutor them rather than spending the days in chairs in front of large crowds. The two families were nothing alike; one had raised two children who loved adventure, one raised two wise boys who took time to sort through life's dangers. Despite their differences, they were friends, through and through. And Hikari couldn't be any happier.

Other friends, such as Inoue Miyako, Takaishi Takeru and Ishida Yamato (whose parents were somewhat shunned by the ladies and lords for their "falsely" pronounced love,) lived within the castle as different classes. Miyako was with her brother's friend, Izumi Koushiro, in the laboratory where both young adults experimented with new gadgets. Yamato was placed as a chef's helper and a part-time entertainer for the king and his people. 

Takeru experimented with many possibilities. He attempted to be a musician like his used-to-be brother Yamato, but failed after being unable to play what the king wanted. The next trail was to be a helper to both Miyako and Koushiro. After a few days of miniature fires down the stairs of the kings quarters, no one spoke of Takeru becoming their helper ever again. Instead, he settled as a sword-man's apprentice. Many other boys his age joined in this hobby. It increased the strength and let the mind grow.

It also let a few egotistical boys get their time in the spotlight. Boys like Motomiya Daisuke, who were kind and fun-loving youths, learned how to win a girl's heart with a wave of a blade. People like Ichijouji Ken taught the skills already known and learned many more over night. Fathers grew proud of their sons whenever engaging in the concept of battle. It was, after all, considered to be brave, wise, and honorable.

The girls of the castle settled to more of the peaceful activities. But with someone like Tachikawa Mimi, each of these activities were fun-filled. She transformed the dull chore of dishes into a game with the little children and she often flirted with the chef's helper. And although the helper paid no attention most of the time, she still giggled and he still grinned. 

The garden area belonged to Takenouchi Sora who was as gentle as a rose petal. She hummed to herself while watering the plants; and though she wasn't as elegant as the queen, she danced and swirled down the path. Often did the boys come to talk with her; she was sharp with words and beautiful to the eyes. Taichi found this girl rather interesting to be around with. Hikari never saw her brother act so foolish when he was around the garden mistress. She was in the same class as they were, but rarely did they ever see her.

Lastly, the young Hida Iori came into play. He was in a higher class, thanks to his father's willingness to serve in battle. Though his father paid the price of high bravery, his family was welcomed to the castle, invited by the queen. His mother was a beautiful young maid who tended to the queen's side and his grandfather often helped with the boys in the training grounds. But he, being too young to hold a blade and being too old to be placed in the fields to play, was left to be the messenger. He took it with great honor since he often paid a visit to his two best friends, Koushiro and Miyako.

Iori often toyed with the gadgets those two came up with and some of the time, he used the inventions to help him deliver the messages. Though he did not carry any word outside of the town boundaries, he did travel from home to home to transfer the item needed. Many times did he find kids his age, playing in the dirt and imagining their lives, but never did he want to join them. If he did, he would be a kid again, and he took his job of delivery very seriously. Sometimes it took Mimi's obnoxious begging to get him to lighten up.

Hikari's strange but lovable brother was also a soon-to-be knight. He went to the fields in the morning then tended to the home in the afternoons and slept throughout the night. Ever since he saw the girl Sora, however, he was seen more around the garden than at the study sessions with Jyou. The 'teacher' did not worry over the boy, though. He told Hikari that it was a heartbreak away until he wised up. 

Hikari herself was left in the middle, much like Iori. She was not skilled in the arts of invention like her friend Miyako and she was in a higher division so she could not wash dishes with Mimi. Though she loved the plants around the castle, she was not able to participate in the boy's game of flirting with Sora. She could not become a knight. It was impossible to imagine a girl in battle. And she could not be a messenger, for that was a boy's job. Cooking was not her specialty and she was not wise enough to teach a class of her own. For all she knew, she would have been completely lost if it weren't for Jyou.

He took his time to teach her and to take her to explore the world, even though it was just the forest nearly a mile away from the town. She took the paintbrush and decided to become an artist because Jyou told her that in paintings, anything can seem like heaven.

"I wish there was a simpler way of taking a quick piece of nature in a matter of seconds," she said to Jyou one day while he was reading and she was painting.

"Someday we might invent something to do that." He had replied. "But if we do, we might lose the true beauty that artists like yourself displays on a simple easel."

And so her hobby of painting came into her life.

She took a turn into the dining quarters where many of her friends were lingering for lunch to be served. The familiar blonde friend nodded his head to the seat beside him and she gave a smile before sitting down. Miyako was seated in front of her but was too busy glancing at the trinket Koushiro had in his hands.

"No toys at the table, child," Hikari teased and Koushiro looked up. 

He smirked and replied, "Why here is a girl I have not yet been graced to see today. How are you, Hikari?"

"Just fine," she answered, "just like every other day you ask me how I am."

"It is always polite to address you with a question of your health," mentioned Takeru.

"Oh, forgive me." Hikari arose from her seat and curtsied in her school dress. She swirled around saying, "Forgive me for not properly addressing you all. Good afternoon, Sir Takaishi, Madam Miya--"

In midst of her twirling, her brother came in and clumsily bumped into her, making them both stumble. Hikari gave him a look and sat down again while he smiled widely and leaned over his sister and towards Koushiro.

"Have you seen Sora lately?" he asked.

"No, I have not."

"What about you, Miyako?" Taichi furrowed his eyebrows in hope.

She raised a finger to push her glasses up her nose and thought for a moment. "I believe…"

"You believe what?" He was growing impatient.

Said Miyako, "I believe that I saw her," pointing to the entrance, "coming into the room."

Taichi spun around like a dog for a bone and casually straightened his sleeves of his shirt. Approaching with a smile, he gently took Sora's hand and motioned for the table with two seats left for the two. Hikari watched her brother work his "charm" on the girl and saw how she giggled to tease him. After a few moments, they sat down and she automatically turned to speak with Miyako, much to Taichi's disappointment.

Daisuke leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin that displayed his "manly" wound that he got from training. Instantly seeing this, Hikari's eyes widened and she asked what had happened to make him get a scar.

"I was hit with the blade of the Master," he bragged.

"You mean you tripped over your feet and cut yourself with your own blade," Takeru muttered.

Daisuke sat straight and gave him a look, "Excuse me?!"

"You heard me and you know the truth!"

"You were not there to see what happened!"

"But I was there to see you trip and squirm on the ground for a long time," the blonde shot the words out like an arrow from a bow. The brunette shrugged and glanced towards Hikari.

"It _is_ still a cut," he said. Takeru rolled his eyes and Hikari giggled.

While everyone was settling down, Hikari glanced toward the silent Ken. "Is there a problem with your drink?"

He raised his blue eyes to catch her gaze and answered, "Just thinking of a new strategy of battle, miss."

She shook her head at his formal talk. He always spoke like that. "What for? We are not going into battle any time soon. You should be thinking of what you want to be eating."

"…I will do that," he said after a period of silence.

Taichi wriggled around in his seat before nudging his best friend Yamato's side. "Do you believe the rumors?"

"What rumors?" replied the blonde.

"The Henran are said to be coming in this direction."

"Tch, what for? We have nothing for them."

"I can't say what for, I don't know. But I heard that is why Ken is working over this new strategy of his. And why Jyou is trying to keep Hikari away from the training grounds. Your brother doesn't know?" Taichi quirked a brow.

"If he would have figured out, I would have been the first to know." Yamato glanced at the doors as they opened and he saw Hikari jerk her head to see who it was. "Why does your sister act so frantic when the doors open?"

"Frantic?" Taichi looked at his sister and how her eyes trailed from Iori back to her friends around her. "I guess she might be somewhat aware of what is going on."

"She does not know… She was with Jyou all this time -- unless!"

"Do not think of such a thing!" Taichi hissed, "He is nearly a lord to the king, he would not blab the happenings of the land to a girl like Hikari. Why would he?"

"Not sure…" Yamato eyed Hikari again, "But she seems to be waiting for him to arrive."

"Are you saying she likes Jyou or somethin'?" Taichi said that so loosely that it made Yamato chuckle. This triggered the brunette to laugh and soon, the whole topic of Hikari was dropped.

Iori glanced at the two remaining seats at the table for twelve. One was beside Hikari and the other was across and to the left, beside Taichi. Sora had moved to be seated near Mimi and Koushiro was surrounded by the girls of the table. To his right was Miyako, who was still fascinated by the gadget he held. Mimi was to his left, she leaned to her left to whisper to Sora. And Hikari was seated in front of him, an empty seat was to her left and Takeru filled the chair on her other side. 

With a welcoming smile, she gestured for Iori to sit beside her and he took it with a thank you. Removing his messenger cap, the one Sora had made for him, he grinned and asked, "How is everyone this afternoon?"

"Just fine, Iori," Miyako said after the wave of answers passed over. "What about you? Have a difficult route?"

He wanted to tell her of the rumors he heard but knew that he could not. "It was the same as yesterday. I stopped near the creek to meet that old lady. She gave me a cookie. She is really nice."

"Hey, you might not want to take treats from a stranger." Taichi warned.

"Who says a thing like that?" Daisuke asked.

Taichi shrugged, "Just seems like the right thing to say. You never know what a woman can do to a cookie."

"Have something against cooking, Taichi?" Sora leaned forward to eye the youth.

"N-no! Of course not… I was just mentioning how, how some people take pleasure in watching people get sick."

Iori blinked and said, "It is kind of hard to turn down the fresh baked double-chocolate served cookie… but I will say 'no thank you' from now on."

"Double-chocolate?" Mimi nearly drooled, "Next time get _me_ one!"

Yamato chuckled, "I can bake those cookies in a flash."

"Well why are you waiting? Bake on, brother, bake on!" Takeru jokingly wailed.

"Mm! Chocolate sure sounds nice," Miyako rubbed her stomach.

"_Anything_ sounds good right now… Where is our meal?" Taichi made a whimpering noise and slouched in his chair. 

"Hey, cooks have to take their time to perfect the food." The blonde chef's helper remarked.

Mimi flipped her hair over her shoulder and muttered, "And they tend to use dishes that they do not need at times."

Sora giggled and said, "Well, we can cease our complaining --"

"Here comes the food!" Daisuke interrupted. 

Five maidens dispersed from the kitchen doors and shuffled across the stone floor. Once the group of eleven (they were still one short since Jyou had not arrived), received their food, they began to chatter again while feasting on the filling treats. Never once did Hikari touch her food, nor her fork or other silverware. She waited silently with her hands folded neatly on her lap.

"Hikari, are you not hungry?" Takeru asked, slightly worried of her strange behavior.

She shook her head, "Jyou once told me that it is best manners to wait until the last person of your party is seated."

He blinked for a moment before setting down his glass and placing his hands on his lap, waiting like Hikari was. Before long, Daisuke saw the two doing the same thing and grew suspicious. Shrugging, he set down what he was munching on and leaned back in his chair. This wave of waiting passed through until Yamato was the last to lean back. They began to talk and avoid the food as if they never saw it.

Hikari glanced at the opening doors and a smile came onto her face as soon as Jyou walked in. His glasses were removed and placed in his hands while his left thumb rubbed a small cloth against the lens. When he arrived at the table, he eyed all the untouched food and tilted his head to one side in confusion.

"Not a good day for eating?" he spoke loud enough to get everyone's attention. He looked at Yamato and asked, "So why are you not eating?"

"Everyone else was not eating." Yamato glanced to Taichi. "What about you?

"I held back because Miyako put her fork down," he answered.

"And I stopped because Koushiro told me to," Miyako voiced.

Like clockwork, Koushiro said, "I set my food aside because Mimi did."

"I saw Sora stop eating and I thought I was supposed to."

"I saw Iori out of the corner of my eye push his food aside and toy with his hat instead. I thought I was supposed to quit as well."

"And I saw Ken place his cloth on the table. I thought he was done and I did not want to seem like an animal at lunch." Iori lowered his head to fiddle with his hat again.

"I only refused the food for the reason that Daisuke leaned back in his chair. I was thinking he was to say something…"

"I stopped 'cause Takeru did."

"And I did because Hikari told me she was."

Everyone glanced at Hikari and her cheeks turned a faint red. "Well… Jeez… I just said that it was good manners to wait for Jyou until we start eating…"

She watched as her friends blinked before resuming to eat their lunch. Jyou's hand fell upon her shoulder and she looked up. He removed it and smiled, "Thank you, Hikari. That was nice of you. Very nice."

She smiled back and finally picked up her fork to begin eating. With a final look to Jyou, she took the fork full of food and placed it in her mouth, at last savoring the taste of the delicious meal.

Later on that night, Hikari sat on the bench that was built by the twelve children. Everyone had put their own work to create the bench and now it was perfection. Each of their names were carved into the bench sides and each of them dedicated an idea into how to make it better. 

The cushions were sewn by Sora and decorated by Mimi. The name carvings were done by Iori, Takeru, and Daisuke while the general shape of it was made by Koushiro and Ken, carved by Taichi and Yamato. Miyako decided the placement of the bench, which was in the center of Sora's beautiful garden. Jyou donated the paints to make their bench something special and Hikari had painted a few patterns along the back. 

Hikari leaned back on the comfortable bench that could not be made by anyone else but them and tilted her head up to see the darkened sky. Small, white dots scattered themselves throughout the endless sky and she wondered how far away they really were. Also, she wondered how such beautiful things could be so small -- or if they really were that small. Baffled in her own thoughts, she lowered her chin and stared at the small pathway that faced each cardinal direction.

"Still up?"

The voice startled the girl and she showed it by jumping a bit. Turning to the west, she expected to see one of the boys dragging his tired body off to bed. But it wasn't an apprentice, it was Jyou. 

"Sorry to scare you," he bowed his head before motioning his hand towards the bench, "may I have a seat?"

She nodded and he quietly placed himself beside her. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, young lady."

"Young lady," she echoed. "You make that seem like a bad thing."

"Having a bit of trouble getting some rest at night?"

"Not really…"

"Then what are you doing out here alone?"

"Just thinking how confusing stars are." Hikari scrunched her nose at all the questions she had in her mind and looked up at the sky again.

Jyou followed her gaze and reasoned, "They are not confusing. Stars are beautiful things."

"How so?"

"They let the imagination wander, Hikari," he whispered, pointing in a specific area. "And if you look hard enough, you can find a Wishing Star."

"Wishing Star? What is that?"

"Watch," he murmured beside her ear. As if on cue, a shooting star streaked across a patch of sky in its second of glory. "Make a wish."

Hikari did not even think to hesitate. Her eyes shut quickly and she racked her brain for a wish. The image of her brother fawning over the girl came to her mind and she wished mentally. _I wish someone would love me like the do to other girls._ When she finished, she opened her eyes and turned to look at Jyou. His eyes were still shut and his head was slightly bowed as if he fell asleep. A moment passed and she actually thought he did fall asleep, but he soon opened his eyes to catch her staring.

"What did you wish for?" she asked to break the queer silence.

Jyou smirked, "I cannot tell you."

"What? Why?" She frowned in disappointment.

"It is the Wishing Law."

"Wish--"

"It means that you should not tell anyone what you wished… or else it will not come true." Jyou gave a comforting grin but Hikari was still upset he wouldn't tell her. She would have told him if he asked. Yes, she would have. And she would have told him because he asked and answering a question is the polite thing to do.

"What did _you_ wish for?"

"I wished for--" Hikari stopped herself and fluttered her eyelashes in surprise. "You were trying to make my wish not come true!"

"It was an innocent question," Jyou shrugged. "Be wise, Hikari, your future relies on your powerful mind." There was a short pause before he pointed to his head, "And your mind cannot function perfectly when you have been staying up all night."

Responded the girl, "Perhaps it is best for both of us to return to our sleeping quarters?"

"I like that idea very much." He stood up and glanced down the northern path while Hikari faced the southern. "Dream sweetly, Hikari."

"I will if you say you will."

"Then I suppose I will."

"Good night," she waved and began walking down the path with her arms folded lightly over her stomach. She did make a good decision about not telling Jyou her wish. It would not have come true if she had. Or maybe she would have been embarrassed if he squeezed something so small out of her. A wish, it was, only a wish. 

Besides, Hikari could not have told Jyou because of the two paths they were on. She was on a lower, dirtier path while he walked on silk. The reason why this wish would not come true was as plain as the stars in the sky -- seemingly close, yet so far away. There would be no chance of her obtaining such a wish. Jyou was obviously not interested in what she had to say. He is but a tutor, she is a student. Still… was it possible that Hikari had somewhat of a flame for Kido Jyou?

She paused and pondered on the thought for another moment before releasing a giggle from her red lips. Her fingers brushed against the stone wall near the wooden doors and she cautiously set her hands on it. For the last time that night, Hikari turned back to see Jyou. And before she walked through those doors, she could have sworn he was looking back. 

"Bah, perhaps it was just the shadows playing tricks on me," Hikari murmured to herself while walking down the candlelit halls. She turned each corner absentmindedly and she was lucky that no one was up, for she would have surely run into them. The girl would have gone to sleep peacefully if it had not been for the muffled speech of her father, speaking to Jyou's.

"This is impossible," her father was saying as she neared the door. Coiling her fingers around the corner, she carefully pushed her head through the door enough to see both of the adults. 

"The messenger has said they call for a war and we cannot waste our time!" Sir Kido rasped his knuckles against the wooden surface of the table in front of him.

"You are asking for _boys_!" her father raised his voice. The higher authority gave him a look and he lowered the tone. "I am just saying that you cannot send boys like my son out to a war to fight someone we do not even know! We could be crushed in their war strategies…"

Hikari squinted to see the third character that was standing beside the two. Unfortunately, the light was weak and he was shrouded in darkness. If what the messenger had told her father was true, then there really was a war heading towards their usually peaceful town. _What could they want?_ she wondered.

"Sir Kido, I can only offer this beg one more time… Please restrain from sending the innocent young men to die. Let them live their life full of opportunity and fun, let them flirt with the girls and fish in the rivers. Just let them _grow up_."

"I apologize… The King has ordered me to begin training first thing tomorrow morning. You as well as I will be helping those boys grow up to be the men you are talking about. You are dismissed."

Hikari heard shuffling and more tapping on wood. She heard her father speak again; "Just remember that when or if we do engage in that sin of war, your son will be shedding blood, too."

Unable to hold in the gasp any longer, Hikari drew in a quick breath that was loud enough for the men to hear. At once they turned to face the door, the door that Hikari abandoned to escape down the hallways. It was untruthful of her to run, but she was somehow scared. Not scared because strange and strong men were coming to start an era of bloodshed, but scared because her friends, her brother, _Jyou_ was going to be in the middle of it all.

She ran all the way back to her quarters where she carelessly threw open the door and awoke her brother. As he sat up to rub his eyes and begin his tired ritual of wondering what was going on, the fragile girl collapsed onto his bed and fell over his chest, bringing him back down. Taichi carefully lifted his sister up and tilted her face towards the candlelight to identify her tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as he saw the salty liquid pour from her light caramel eyes. She said nothing and wrapped her arms around Taichi's neck again. Instead of pestering her, he wrapped her up in his blanket to keep the warmth and began to whisper calm words into her ear to ease her mind.

Within minutes the tears were calmed, but Hikari still refused to leave her brother's side. And so she fell asleep, clinging to her brother's arm, clinging to the memories that had flooded her mind ever since she heard of the war.

The next morning, Hikari blinked her eyes open to a fair day. What she hadn't expected was to find the bed completely empty aside from her own body. Her fingers touched the sheets as if Taichi had just disappeared before her eyes and she felt the tears swell up again. Hikari slid out of the covers and nearly sprinted the whole way down to the dining quarters.

She pushed the door open, imagining empty tables were the boys used to sit and all the girls crowded into one table for some gossip. Stepping through, her brown eyes fell upon the dining quarters… that were exactly the same as the previous morning. She wondered if it had been a dream… the war….

"Hey, Hikari!" Takeru called her down to her regular seat and she casually paced her way down the isle. When she sat down, she looked into the eyes of her eleven friends and blinked a few times.

"What?" she asked.

"Well," Jyou spoke, "it is not good manners to start feasting unless your entire party has arrived."

Confused, more of whether yesterday was a dream or not, she falsely smiled and thanked them each. The meal went on as it usually did and Hikari was convinced that she had just had a bad dream… until Daisuke began to talk of their new assignment in training.

"We were parted into groups. Takeru and I are under Jyou's papa. Shin was completely humiliated when Sir Kido started to talk about the time him and Jyou went down to the river to fish." Daisuke smirked and nodded towards Takeru, "It'll be fun training with our group."

Jyou curiously looked away from the group as Daisuke went on, telling the story of how he and his older brother fell into the river. And how it was because they could have sworn something was grabbing their legs. And how they figured out it was just a leaf or two, dancing on the water around their area. And how they screamed like--

"Okay, okay, okay…" Jyou lowered his head a little in embarrassment. "So I was scared of a leaf. Let it go, Daisuke, and I shall keep your humiliating stories locked away."

The teasing discussion between the two began to interest the others, but Hikari did nothing but stare at the food in front of her. Takeru, who noticed the strange behavior as always, confronted her and caused her to look up.

"What troubles you?" he whispered.

"Is it really true?" she asked.

"What? About the upcoming war?" He smirked, "Of course. How exhilarating, huh?"

"Are you not the least bit afraid?"

"What? Of the swords? Tch, not with Ken's new techniques of fighting and Sir Kido's advice on battle, I'm not! I believe we can conquer over them, Hikari. And we will be stronger and feared even more. It is the best for our country, our lives, and our freedom. Do you agree?"

Hikari looked into his azure eyes and noticed how they danced with such excitement. This type of arousal frightened her. If her best friend was willing to be at blade's end, then others must feel this way as well. Her eyes trailed from the young men sitting around her.

Yamato… he had been twittering on about holding a blade just as much as Daisuke was. Her brother was bragging to Sora, saying how he will bring back a victory. Even Jyou mentioned something about how stimulating it was to swing the sword. 

All of her friends, her loved ones, were going to be sacrificing their days to learn to become a killer. Her best friend was going to become a killer. Her brother will soon murder another. Jyou will be trained as a assassin, as well.

Within a matter of days, her best friends will be changed for life. 

"They are becoming men," she whispered, warm tears flooding the corners of her eyes. Without asking to be excused, she rose from the table and hurriedly made her way out of the dining hall. 

The days began to increase with excitement. Taichi and the others were beginning to use weapons skillfully and aim and shoot wooden arrows from horseback. Each day, one would come back with a new scar to show, a new story to tell, and another reason to make Hikari uneasy to come to meals. With each dying day, the boys she knew were growing into men. It was difficult to accept the fact that they were growing up too fast.

Hikari's classes were beginning to diminish into quick rendezvous where Jyou instructed her to read chapters of a book and write a summary. This allowed her more time to wither away the day with her paints and thoughts… which were useless if Jyou was not there to comment on them. Slowly she began to lose interest in what opinions she held for nature or the sky. She would have lost interest in the beautiful things like stars if it were not for a certain night.

Hikari sat on the bench in the middle of Sora's garden. The scent of roses and other flowers danced within the night and the moon was nowhere to be found. Everything was silent with an exception of the few insects and the slight rustling of the trees. It was slightly chilly, but she sat by herself with her legs folded childishly underneath her body and her dress crumpled in her grasp. 

The four paths around her were abandoned; no one had walked on them for hours, not since she had decided to come out. She could not sleep that night; it was either Taichi's constant shifting or her own wandering mind, but she could not drift into the land of dreams. Instead of fussing within her bed, she took a walk into the garden to gaze at the stars.

A cool breeze swept through the garden, pushing a few fallen petals onto the northern path. The quiet trickle of sound caught her attention and she lowered her eyes from the sky to the ground. There was not enough light to look down the path, for her candle was struggling to keep itself lit. But the night was so serene that it allowed her to listen to the footsteps of another being.

"What are you doing up so late?" the other's voice whispered.

"Jyou?" she called for verification.

The young man shrugged his shoulders lightly and stepped further into the circle, enough to be seen. "Why are you up in the dead of night?" he asked again, continuing his way to the bench.

"I wanted to see the stars again." Her eyes caught the newly gained gash on Jyou's right forearm. It was quickly covered up when he pulled down his shirtsleeve because of her look of concern.

"It is only a cut," he assured and gestured to the seat. Hikari nodded without hearing him ask and he sat beside her, his right hand unfolding his opposite sleeve. 

Asked the girl, "Are you looking forward to battle?"

"Of course not. I despise the very idea."

"Then why do you continue to go to training?"

"Because," he said, leaving it to that.

For a while, they said nothing and stared at the stars. But before long, Jyou asked her a question.

"Perhaps you had a wish," he said," what would you wish for?"

She lowered her gaze to meet his eyes and paused to think. "I would wish that the wars would end… so my friends can live normally again, without the bruises, cuts, and other injuries. Then my dreams will not be full of worry… and I can sleep peacefully once more."

"Wars will never cease, Hikari?" Jyou spoke directly to her, his eyes never straying from hers. "Without them, our freedom would not exist and your dreams will still be disrupted. Which would you want more, Hikari? No more terrible wars… or no more terrible dreams."

She lowered her chin to her chest. "No more terrible dreams. At least there, my friends and family can be safe without any of the wars entering their lives."

"Hikari, we will be safe," he said gently, his right hand shyly brushing away a lock of her brown hair to see her face. "Trust your friends and your father and brother. As soon as this is over with, everything will be back to the way you want it -- like a dream."

A small yawn escaped her chilled lips, but she said nothing. Her eyes gradually rose to see the stars again and she whispered, "You are right, Jyou… Stars are beautiful things."

"You can always confide in the stars… they will always hold your secrets. Or, if you need something that can reply to your words, you can come to me." His face then fell into a concerned look. "And you should be getting to sleep."

"Thank you, Jyou." The young girl turned and wrapped her arms around the older being in one motion. Her cold cheek brushed against his neck during the hug and before she lowered her forehead onto his shoulder. "Thank you for teaching me so much and thank you for showing me the stars."

She then pushed herself away from him and slid off the bench, straightening her clothing in the process. With a nod, she added, "Good night," and began to walk down the southern path.

The next morning, the Yagamis awoke to a frantic knock on their chamber doors. Taichi quickly climbed out of bed to answer it. Standing in the doorway was little Iori whose face was red from running. In a hushed voice, he whispered to Taichi and Hikari tried her best to listen in on what was going on. As the youth turned to leave, he gave a polite nod and said he had to fetch Jyou for assistance.

"Taichi, what is it?" she asked.

"There is an unknown somebody at the bay, badly injured," he said while pulling on his dirty trousers. "Perhaps he has seen the Henran."

Hikari watched as her brother flew out of the door in a hurry. She tried to follow, but her mother's hand gripped onto her shoulder and held her steady as her father followed his son.

"It is best for you to stay, Hikari," she said. "Now run along and take a bath… you can see the commotion afterwards."

Meanwhile, outside of the castle grounds and in the middle of the town markets, a large group of people were forming to gossip about the person who washed onto the shore. Many rumors began spreading; things like the man was a Henran warrior who had disobeyed commands and was thrown into the sea, or that he was a townsman who fled from the war to save his own life. Either way, they assumed he was somehow connected with the clan of warriors because of the nasty gashes on his body.

Soon after Iori had informed Taichi and a selected few, they arrived on the beach on horseback, searching for the man the young Hida had spoken about. Sir Kido jerked his head to the left of them, saying that he saw a body be engulfed by the waves. Only minutes after the search started, it ended when Taichi and Jyou discovered the man. They had no trouble bringing him away from the waves and into the dry sand.

"Is he still living?" Iori asked, trying to look over the bodies of the five other men. Yamato finally looked up at the boy and nodded. "How bad is it?" he asked again.

Jyou reported, "He was attacked quite some time ago, the bleeding has stopped. How did he get across this sea, I wonder?"

"No need for that right now," Taichi said, pointing to the man, "he's breathing and I think we should bring him in for now. Maybe he has seen these warriors and knows their strategies."

"Right, good thinking, son," the older Yagami nodded, lifting up the limp body. "Until he opens his eyes, we must continue with Ichijouji's plan. I expect to see you three men at practice in fifteen minutes."

Sir Kido added, "Just because you know about this man, it does not mean you can snitch off to the others."

"Who will take care of him, then?" Jyou pushed himself off the ground, looking at the unconscious body and secretly praying that he can take a day off from training. "No one in the castle knows medicine like I do, Father."

"See to it that he is taken care of, then permit one of the girls to watch over him," he replied. "When you are through, you are to come to the training grounds. The Henran might be on their way… Perchance this is a messenger."

Each of the men, and Iori, agreed to keep the whereabouts of the man to keep the others away. Minutes later, Taichi and Yamato were in training and Iori was back on his routes to deliver messages. The two fathers were retreating to the stables to instruct shooting an arrow from a bow and Jyou was in his chambers, nearly falling asleep in a chair.

The unknown man was lying in a comforted bed with his dark red locks of hair still wet from when they retrieved him. He was as still as a rock and as cold as the ocean, but he was still alive. His figure was somewhat gangly, tall and thin, but somewhat muscular. The features of his innocent and scarred face showed nothing but purity and it was a guess that he was near Taichi's age.

On the opposite side of the bed sat Hikari, the one who was to help aid the man to recovery. She sat quietly, her eyes fixed on the stranger. All of her thoughts were on this being: _How did he get here? Who is he? Where did he come from?_ And she could not shake the thought of _Is he… dangerous?_

****

*** Okay… the first chapter is over with and it didn't end in such a thrilling way. But it works for now. What do you expect? Sorry for those who don't like Jyoukari… but this is what it's heading to. This story if for Cynthia's "Really Weird Couples" contest and I can only pray my inspiration for it will not fade away like it did for my other story(ies). So… for those of you who are still reading, you can stop now. Thank you, come again. ^-^;


	2. Stars Are Beautiful Things Pt. 2

Taichi and his friend Yamato lay contently in the grass after a long afternoon's training. The sun was just barely over the horizon, making the city and land it touched somewhat orange. Both of the boys turned away from the sun as the spoke about the day.

"What do you think is going on?" the brunette asked, yawning lightly.

"With what?" replied the other.

"This war… Think we'll have to enter it?"

"Taichi, Taichi, Taichi…" Yamato fell onto his back, his arms behind his head. "We're already in this war."

"We're just training --"

"We would not be training if we were not entering it." The blonde closed his eyes and added, "And everyone would not be so stressed."

"Who is stressed?"

"Can you not see, Taichi?" he grumbled. "Our entire land is trembling in fear because of these warriors. We have no idea how to attack them; have no idea how we can defend ourselves! Even Ken is up at night… searching for a way to defend us. This very well may be the end to things, Taichi."

"The end?" he echoed. "…Not with us around, you know? We'll get something out of this. Whether it be our emotional freedom or their death, we will get something out of this."

"Nothing good can come from war, Taichi," Yamato whispered. "You can't enter a war and expect everyone to live."

He sat up and looked at his friend. "So we are in this… Are you afraid? Afraid of death? Of battle?"

"Tch! Yeah right." Yamato opened his eyes to look at him; "I'm all for it! Give me a blade and I'll cut those bastards to pieces!"

Taichi lowered his head. After a moment of silence, he replied: "Fear takes me, too, Yamato."

"Koushiro," young Miyako called at the foot of the stairs that led down to the laboratory. "Koushiro? Are you down here?"

Light rustling noises signaled his presence and she took the candle from the wall. Her steps echoed through the silent basement, being only interrupted by more rustling. She reached the foot of the stairs and found the quiet redhead leaning over his table, papers strewn carelessly in front of him. He hung his head as the candle nearby died out.

"This is impossible," he whispered in his own darkness. "Impossible."

Miyako stepped forward, the light from her candle finding the boy again. "What is?"

Koushiro slowly looked over his shoulder. He caught the glance of his friend, the candle flame flickering in the reflection of her glasses. "Nothing," he said lightly. His hands fumbled blindly over the papers, grabbing few, leaving plenty. After finding what he needed, he took off in the darkness towards the stairway and away from Miyako. 

In his hurry, a folded piece of paper released itself from his grip. He never realized it had slipped. Instead, he dashed up the stairs and left Miyako with a slam of the door.

Miyako shuddered, wondering what he had stumbled onto. She began to walk back to the staircase, but her eyes caught the fallen paper and she knelt to pick it up. Curiosity struck her mind and she unfolded the already wrinkled sheet. Through the black ink scribbles, her eyes caught the message that made Koushiro so disturbed. 

"Oh… oh no," she exhaled. Her fingers let go of both the letter and the candle. As one fluttered lightly to the ground, the other fell abruptly to the ground. Wax of the candle splattered over the stone and she dashed up the stairs in the darkness. 

It was to her advantage that she spent most of her time in this laboratory; her mind kept a visual of what everything looked like and she knew how far apart the stairs were and were each corner and table was. Her breath became jagged as tears began to form in her eyes. Soon her vision became blurry and, even with her confident mind, she fell.

Walking along the corridors alone was Ichijouji Ken. He kept his head bowed in thought, his feet leading him towards the laboratory chambers. As he reached the door, he heard a weak, however audible scream. His hand twisted the doorknob and jerked the door open. Light from the hallway fell into the darkness, giving enough light for the youth to see Miyako lying awkwardly on the cold steps.

"Miyako!" he gasped, running down the few steps to get to her side. He gently lifted her chin with his hand, stroking away her hair and looking into her tear-filled eyes. "What has happened?"

She shrugged herself away from Ken and searched the cold steps for her glasses that fell from position when she slipped. Her entire left side ached from when she fell. It was an inaccurate judgement of the width of the step. By stepping too widely, she caught the edge of another step with the tip of her foot and her left side hit the steps.

"Miyako," Ken said again, catching her wandering hands and slipping her broken glasses into the palm of her battered left hand.

The young girl finally calmed herself and looked up into the worried blue eyes. "Do not speak to me, you vile cad!" she hissed to the higher classed young man. Forcing herself to stand up, she got to the door, glasses in hand and a glare in her eyes. "You use your class rank to do away with the people beneath you… Does not matter whether it may be a complete stranger or your friend… you do away with them all."

"Miyako! Wait!" Ken launched himself up the stairs, watching the figure disappear down the hallway. "It is not what it seems!" He clenched his fists and called out to her, "Listen to me!"

Hikari studied the face of her tutor; indifferent yet lost in thought. The glasses upon the blue-haired man were slightly crooked, but he paid no attention to them. It was strange, she thought, to see him so concerned about his thoughts than the things around him.

They still sat in the room with the mysterious figure still unconscious. It had been several hours with no sign of him awakening. Hikari kept herself occupied by braiding strands of her hair and loosening them… then twisting them all over again. Jyou kept his eyes out the window or in a book. She noticed that he never turned the page… he just stared at a word -- or at nothing at all. His eyes were motionless in a thoughtful manner. Curiosity struck her and she spoke:

"What is on your mind, Jyou?"

His dark eyes shifted above the brim of his glasses, staring at the girl for a moment. "What?"

"What is on your mind?" she repeated.

"Nothing." His answer was too quick.

Hikari tilted her head slightly, but before she could say a word, Jyou excused himself and exited the room. For a few seconds, she was cautious to move. Now she was alone with a stranger. True, he was asleep, but it still nagged her that he could wake up at any second. Then again, Jyou worried her more than some stranger and she quickly jumped from her seat to Jyou's.

She picked up the book he was so 'fascinated' in and glanced at the bookmark. It was a folded piece of paper; folded in three with the signature of the king. Unfolding it, her eyes skimmed the top paragraph of fine handwriting. It was written by Jyou's father. But why was it signed by the king?

Her eyes trailed down a bit further. There was talk of surprising the enemy on neutral turf. They would meet in the middle. A regiment of a sort was to attempt victory at that land, allowing the warriors back home to spare more time. But what did that have to do with Jyou?

As her caramel eyes peered down on the first letter of the last paragraph, the door reopened. She quickly jammed the letter into the book and tossed it aside. Jyou walked back in with his glasses in his hands.

"You avoided my question."

Jyou glanced up. "Perhaps I should be off to training. You can take care of this."

She watched as he picked up his book. "But what if he wakes up?"

"Call for assistance." He opened the book, possibly to check for the letter, and then nodded to take his leave.

"Jyou, what are those letters for?" Hikari stood up, her eyes locked on the back of his head. He didn't turn around.

"Just a new training schedule," he whispered. Dropping his arms to his sides, he turned to her and said, "Hikari, do not let yourself fall into the grasp of curiosity. Consequences can become of it, and I do not mean the good kind."

She backed down, sitting in the chair again. "Yes, sir."

It was the tremble that Jyou made that gave Hikari a sense of fear. She watched him leave and her eyes fell to the ground. If she were to leave, she would surely be punished for abandoning her task. However, she did have assistants not too far away.

Tiptoeing towards the door, she poked her head out the door and watched Jyou turn the corner. _Odd… the training grounds are the opposite direction._

"Miss? Do you need anything?" an older woman approached her.

"Yes, I do." She lied with a sweet smile; "You see, I have been sitting there for the entire day and I still have to do my morning chores, as well as my evening." 

"I thought you finished those--"

"No, no… they remain unfinished." 

"As you wish." The lady kindly sent the girl away as she walked into the room. Hikari took off in a light stroll, looking casual but walking briskly. She followed Jyou's path… weaving through the halls before entering the second class chambers. _Why is he going into Ken's quarters?_

"Sora! Sora!"

The young, auburn-haired girl lifted herself from her garden, her basket of flowers twisting lightly on her left wrist. It didn't take her long before she caught the sight of another young girl with lavender hair, hurriedly running on the cardinal path with her glasses in her hands.

"Miyako? What ever could it be?" she asked, using phrases she got from her mother. The two girls sat in the soil as one explained the predicament they were in to the other. Sora slowly began to catch onto the information through jagged breaths and sobs. 

"Miyako, who is leaving?" she questioned, her hands gripping the other's shoulders lightly.

She looked up and whispered, "Everybody… every single one."

Sora carefully searched her friend's eyes for the truth. She found fear and hatred and worry. Embracing the other, she whispered back, "Not everyone, Miyako…"

The young battle genius walked with quick steps, retreating to his chambers instead of the training grounds. He froze when Hikari spotted him. Ken cleared his throat and said his hello the best he could without any hesitation.

"Ken, what is going on?" Hikari caught him by his arm before he had a chance to move.

"I apologize, I do not understand your question," he said.

"The people are in a frenzy and I do not know why."

"Oh, I am positive a maiden like you recognizes what has been going on."

She tilted her head to the right a tad.

"The war, ma'am, if you remember. Mankind fears these things. In fact, you are helping this kingdom by watching over the unknown. Say, should you not be in the unknown's quarters as of this moment?" Ken rushed, gesturing down the corridor. "Unless you were about to do a womanly matter… of which I should not interrupt."

His hastened speech left her wondering what she had said in the first place. "Ken," she said, peering into the blue eyes of her friend, "can you tell me why this castle is so silent? The town? The people…?"

Hesitating to answer, he glanced away. "Forgive me, Hikari, but I must be going. Strategies to invent."

After giving a nod to his lower-class friend, he stepped aside and walked away from her. His eyes were shifting slightly, wondering if she noticed his strange behavior. The door of his room was slightly open and he curiously glanced through the crack, wondering who was prowling. A sigh escaped from the boy as he saw Jyou standing tall and still, staring out the window.

"Jyou, an unlikely encounter at this time of day." 

The older man turned his head enough to see Ken enter through the door. "What brings you back here?"

"Well," Ken glanced down, "training let out early after the boys found out."

"And you scurried your way up here to hide from them all," he replied bitterly.

"I am not the one to be blamed."

"And you refuse to take responsibility!"

Ken chewed his inner left cheek. "I did not choose who goes… and who stays, Jyou."

The Kido glanced out the window towards the calm town, being touched by the setting sun. There was just a touch of sun left above the horizon and his dark eyes watched as it began to lower itself.

"Who chose such young boys, Ken? Who chose the inexperienced, the weak, the frightened?" Jyou questioned.

Ken glanced away as the last bit of sun disappeared. "Your father selected the weak… the frightened… the inexperienced. Your father chose you, Jyou."

Hikari sighed to herself and walked back towards the unknown's corridor. It caused great boredom just to sit and watch the unmoving, but she could not back out from the task that was given her. What a task that was… sitting instead of learning from Jyou. She reached the door and sighed as her hand set itself on the doorknob. _Back to where I need to be._

A trace of feet pounding against the stone caught the ear of Hikari and she turned around in time to see the messenger turn the corner. His pack was full of folded paper. All of them were held shut with the gold and blue emblem of the kingdom. All of them looked like the folded piece of paper Jyou had in his book.

"Iori!" Hikari called, stepping forward to intercept his path. The young boy ran into the girl by accident. Obviously he had his mind on other things. His sack full of papers fell to the ground, several of the letters flying from place.

Both knelt down to pick up the fallen items and Iori glanced up as the girl addressed him again: "Iori, tell me what these are."

"L-letters, ma'am," he said, quickly lowering his head again. His small hands frantically raced to grab each letter before Hikari's did.

"Evidently so," she remarked. "Who are they addressed to? What might they contain?"

"Hikari, have you ever heard of the cat who wandered into the hunter's home because of its amount of curiosity?" Iori asked, recalling on a story he heard from his mother. He stood up while shoving the letters back into his bag.

"No… but I do not see what this has to do with--"

"The hunter killed the cat. Nay -- curiosity killed that cat." The messenger bowed his head as a farewell. "I plead to you, do not be so curious."

"What? So if I find out, I will die?" she asked, folding her arms over her stomach.

"Surely you will not," he told her, "but something inside you will."

Hikari's eyes followed the messenger as he disappeared down the hall. Sighing, she pushed open the door enough to see the assistant maid.

"Miss, would it be alright if I were to go to my chambers now?" she asked politely.

"Of course, my lady."

The Yagami nodded and stepped into the room to retrieve her items. She gave a small grin as she stepped outside of the room and began to walk toward her chambers. It was just shy of an hour before dinner was served and she still had other targets to pry information out of before then.

Takaishi Takeru rubbed his bare shins, coughing lightly. He had been sitting in the stables for quite some time catching cold rather than training. But he wasn't alone. His friend Daisuke kept him company, sitting up on the rafters with his feet dangling over the side. The blonde coughed into his fist before rolling down his pant legs to keep warm.

"You sissy," Daisuke chortled, watching the blonde squirm in the cool temperature. "How is it going to look for the ladies when you die on the field, not because of a wound, but because of pneumonia?"

"It is but a cough," the blonde insisted. Shivering, he rubbed his hands together and glanced up at his friend. "Training seemed a little rough today, did it not?"

"Training is always rough," he scoffed. "We are not preparing ourselves to go dance in the fields."

Takeru sighed at his friend's sarcasm. It was the first time he was truly afraid of the future and he could not carry a conversation of it with his friend. Instead, he decided to find his brother in hope of clarification and comfort. Standing up, he dusted himself off a bit and without a good-bye, he left the stables, patting a horse lightly on its head.

"Hey! Where are you goin'?" Daisuke asked after him. 

After exiting the stables, he walked south of it, heading towards the entrance of the kitchen. He was friends with Mimi and she enjoyed sneaking him bits of food before a main meal. It was not allowed; it was said to be cheating the agenda to gain personal pleasure. To Takeru, it just meant he could not get caught. To Mimi, it was a game with yet another boy.

Knocking on the half-open door, Takeru propped himself against the wall beside it and coughed lightly to himself. Before long, Mimi's strawberry-blonde head peeked through the door and she flashed him a wide smile.

"Couldn't wait until dinner, huh?" she asked.

Takeru shook his head.

"Okay," Mimi said quietly, "I will be out in a second or so."

"Thank you, Meems," the boy grinned. He walked the short distance to a small bench and sat down. Stretching his arms over his head, the young lad glanced up at the darkened sky. Small stars began to twinkle and he made patterns with them in his mind.

Before long, the kitchen helper sat down beside him and placed a serving of bread in his hand. Gratefully he raised it to his lips, first breathing in the scent, then biting down into the warmth. 

"So how was training?" Mimi asked as he bit into the bread. She wiped her hands on the simple apron and fixed her light brown eyes on the blonde.

"Rough," he said before he took another bite. "It is like they are just training us to die out there. I do not understand it all."

"Hmm," she nodded. Her finger traced the fabric of her apron. "So what do men like you do up there anyway?"

"Men? Hardly!" he half-laughed. "We ride horses until our asses get sore and then we play with blades until blisters form on our hands. We seem to be riding in circles and after each passing day, we sit down and realize, 'What the hell? We have not done anything productive!' I mean, is it really worth it?" 

Mimi giggled lightly and removed a clump of dirt from the silky blonde hair. "It is worth it… It will be, Takeru. And I think you are very brave to become such a thing in your youth."

He gulped down the last piece of bread and rubbed his hands on his pants. "Mimi, what is to become of me? Not just me, but Daisuke and Yamato and Taichi as well?"

"You all will become heroes… and we will forever remember you for saving us," she said quietly. 

Takeru lowered his eyes to Mimi and understood what she meant. Something inside of him shifted lightly, whether his heart skipped a beat in fear or his stomach churned in disgust, it made him twitch noticeably. 

"Takeru," she whispered as he lowered his head, "there is no guarantee that you will still go." She set the back of her hand on his forehead and smiled lightly; "If you keep this fever up, you will be too sick to go fight."

"Now that would be something to be proud of," he remarked. He yawned and glanced up into the sky again. "I want to die doing something for my country, Mimi, not lying in a bed."

She smirked, "You have but a fever, Takeru, you will not die from it."

"Oh yes I will. Knowing that instead of fighting I am in some bed will kill my soul."

"Just like your brother… always willing to go forward with things."

Takeru closed his eyes and sighed. "What will the future bring, Mimi? What will it bring…"

The young woman embraced the younger being and whispered a calm, "It will bring whatever you want it to bring."

He leaned into the hold and set his forehead on the nook of her neck. "It scares me," he admitted. Warm tears slipped from his eyes in thought of never being able to return to his childhood. He was a kid… and now an adult.

"It is just fine to be scared, T.K.," she murmured his nickname to calm him. "You came to the right person for a shoulder to cry on."

_Cry?_ Takeru laughed at himself. "Promise you won't tell the other guys about this?"

Mimi giggled and gave a small squeeze, feeling the tears through her clothes. "Your secrets are always safe with me."

Daisuke jumped down from the rafters after a long period of thinking. He strolled out of the stables and onto the path to take a deep breath and stretch. His eyes wandered around the darkness and saw a familiar figure trudging up the hills in her dress.

"You seem to have strayed from you chambers, Hikari," Daisuke teased. Trotting towards her, he hung his arm around her shoulders and asked, "What's up, precious?"

She laughed at the term of endearment and gave Daisuke a light hug. "How was training?"

"Easy as pie!" His stomach growled. "Ooh… speaking of pie… How about I walk you to the dinner table?"

"Actually," she interrupted before he could begin to walk, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay, my dearest," he joked again.

"Have you received a letter delivered by the messenger and signed by the king?"

"Yeah. All of us have."

"All of you? As in who?"

Daisuke shrugged, "Everyone in my training class… except for a few."

"What did they say?"

"I don't know," he lied.

"Daisuke…"

"I have not read it yet." Daisuke took her by the hand and stepped away, raising their linked hands. "Come, Hikari! Dinner awaits!"

"Not quite, the bell has not been sounded. You have time to explain."

He tugged on her arm a bit and she slowly gave in. They walked towards the castle in silence. Hikari had nothing else to ask if he kept ignoring all her questions; Daisuke had nothing else to deny if she stopped asking the questions she was not supposed to know. As they neared the entrance, Hikari slowed, glancing into the eyes of her best friend.

"Something seems to bother you, Daisuke," she said as his hand rested on the handle.

He shrugged lightly and replied, "Nothing is bothering me. Nothing that I am aware of, at least. Now let's eat some food."

As if on cue, a high-pitched metallic sound filled the air to signal the serving of dinner. Daisuke jerked open the door and followed Hikari in. Though only seconds had passed after the bell had stopped ringing, many of the younger folk were flooding the halls. If they did not know any better, they would think those children were starved.

The two sat down in their usual spot -- the third-from-last table on the left, closest to the kitchen. As Hikari sat down, Takeru rushed out of the kitchen doors, shooed out by Mimi and Yamato. The blonde joined the two brunettes and smiled innocently. 

"What were you doing in the kitchen?" Hikari questioned out of curiosity.

He shrugged as he sat down. "I was talking to Mimi around back and the dinner chime sounded so she let me just cut through the kitchen instead of walking all the way around."

"Talking, huh?" Daisuke teased.

"Yeah, talking." Takeru said firmly. He grinned towards Hikari; "How was your day, 'Kari?"

"Rather boring," she said, a smirk touching her lips. She bit the bottom one and sighed. "'Tis amazing, dear Takeru, how calm you sound when you deny all the while your face tells us the truth."

Takeru blinked. "P-pardon?"

"You may lie to our faces, Takeru," she giggled, "but your blush gives it all away."

"So tell me!" Daisuke leaned towards the blushing blonde. "Did you kiss the girl? Eh? Eh!"

"N-no! Of course not! I was just hungry and she--she gave me a piece of bw-bwead." He caught his vocal error and spoke above the laughter of the two, "Bread! Bread!"

"Daisuke, do you make speech slurs when you are embarrassed as well?" Hikari asked.

"I-I-I stu-stu-stutter, ma-ma'am," he pretended. 

The blush on Takeru's face soon faded as more of their friends began to take their place at the table. Mindless chatter fluttered between the group as they waited for the food and for Mimi and Yamato to join. 

The Ishida often worked as the chef's helper. Every other night he would prep the foods and learn from the master chef. The nights he did not work, he was sent to do as he pleased. Mimi on the other hand remained in the kitchen each night. She was not allowed to help the chef, instead, she was to keep the floors clean and wash each dish. However, when the two worked together, Yamato often spoiled the girl by letting her stir the sauce or kneed the dough. 

Yamato walked out of the kitchen doors with Mimi following quickly behind. They took their seats while greeting their friends. 

Jyou sat across the table from Hikari. His eyes were staring downwards at the wooden table. They looked tired and occupied, but Hikari could not tell what emotion he was feeling. Tilting her head, she peered deeper into his eyes, her nose scrunching up a bit as she probed his dark pools for an emotion. The young man finally glanced up to catch her eyes and she found the emotion. Surprise.

A blush formed on his cheeks but he shook it away as he reached to remove his glasses. "What is it, Hikari?"

"What is on your mind?" 

"The future, Hikari, the future." And with that, he placed his glasses back on his face and welcomed the maids bringing the food to their table. Discussion ceased as each teenager grabbed at their plate. 

It disappointed her that Jyou was avoiding her questions. Since this talk of war has come about, everything has taken a backseat to it. Education halted for the male tutors were now soldiers in training. Friendships and families had to work around the boys' busy schedules. The only time that it was normal was at meal times… when everyone would sit down and talk their problems away. Or hide them.

"Jyou," Hikari whispered and leaned forward as everyone else began to munch on their food. "Jyou!"

The glasses-bearing man glanced over the brim of the eye wear and stared at Hikari. "What?"

"Please tell me," she whispered again.

"Tell you what?"

"Those letters… what are they?"

"What letters?"

"The letters the soldier boys received. The letter that was in your book. The letters that the messenger is bringing about."

"…What letters?"  


"Jyou!"

"What!"

"Just tell me!" she pleaded.

"Why must you be so curious at a time like this!" he gave a stern look. "It is dinner and I would appreciate it if you would not bother me with such diminutive questions that you need not know!"

"You do not need to be so ill-mannered about it all!" she raised her voice, tossing her napkin aside.

"_I_ am not the uncivilized speaker, Hikari," Jyou retorted.

Hikari's eyes glared into his. "If you would just acquaint me with the problem you are facing, perhaps I would not be so 'uncivilized', Jyou!"

"If you would mind your curiosity and restrain it, you would make everyone around you a bit more calm." He then added stubbornly, "…Hikari!"

"I shall not restrain _anything_! If I wish to share my concern to those close to me, I will, Jyou!" she stood from her seat and leaned forward. One by one, the people around her began to look up from their plates to watch what was going on.

"If you were truly concerned, you would play as a fool and pretend nothing was to be going on in this kingdom… Hikari!" Jyou followed her lean and he stopped when the two sets of eyes were mere inches apart.

"If I knew what was going on, then maybe I would not need to play as a fool, Jyou!" she growled, her eyes throwing invisible daggers into his.

"In the words of those whom you have bothered, make us all happy and muzzle that trap of yours, Hi-kar-i!"

She gasped at the insult that slipped from his lips. True, it was weak compared to those that Daisuke or Miyako could pitch, but it was the first time she had heard such foul words come from the Kido boy.

Takeru and Daisuke eyed each other with wide eyes. Taichi and Yamato both gave each other a look before returning their eyes to the bickering twosome. Silence leveled into the dining hall and all eyes were on the two that raised their voices.

"Would you uh, mind taking this elsewhere?" Ken, who was sitting beside Jyou, questioned. He reached up to grasp the older man's arm and gave a squeeze. 

Jyou glanced down and nodded. "Of course. My apologies." He excused himself from the table and slipped out of the doors, bringing his book along with him.

"H-hey!" Hikari wailed, struggling to get her dress free of her chair. As the fabric slipped from the grasp of the wood, she chased after the tutor-friend.

"Perhaps I should--" Taichi rose to his feet.

"Nay." Ken kept him still with an open palm. "As she finds out, it will be harder for her to look at you the same. Allow Jyou to break it to her. She will need the comfort of a loved one and you will need to be there when she comes running."

Taichi swallowed hard and stared towards the large doors. "And what do I do if she does not need me?"

Ken picked up his fork and poked it lightly into the meat. "Then you will be there when the denial fades."

Miyako glanced at her redheaded partner as he lowered his head. Denial is rather difficult to pass over. She knew for a fact that Koushiro was still within that stage.

"Koushiro," she smiled calmly, drawing his attention away from his thoughts. "Eat your dinner. It's really good."

He tried to smile. "Yes, ma'am."

Taichi finally took his seat and glanced down at his food. "Better make it gentle, Jyou," he muttered.

"Jyou! What predicament are you in!?" she demanded as they both walked up the grassy hills. The night temperature made her shiver and her hands rubbed her arms quickly. When they were well away from the castle walls, Jyou slowly turned around and glanced down at the girl.

"I am in the same predicament that every other boy or man is in."

"What?" 

He motioned for her to lower her voice. "Hikari, this war is no joke, you must understand that."

"And I do understand. Those on the mainland are struggling hard to save their land!"

"Not only those who are on the mainland, Hikari," he murmured.

"What do you mean?"

The dismissal bell sounded behind them and Hikari turned her head to glance back. She had missed dinner. Turning back towards Jyou, she realized that the older man had looked away towards the sky.

Rocking from heel to toe, she asked in a gentle voice, "Jyou, what do you mean?"

"Those letters call for us to be sent to the mainland."

"P-pardon?" she stammered, trying to make sense of what he had said. "That is not our problem to deal with!"

"Oh but it is, Hikari!" 

"How?"

"Those warriors wish to destroy _this_ kingdom, Hikari… So it _is_ our problem."

"No…" She shook her head, "Who? When? For how long?"

Jyou sighed lightly and stared into the velvet sky. "We depart once we receive word from the last mainland dynasty. We protect them and ourselves…"

"Those letters…?" Hikari stood in front of Jyou and searched his eyes for more answers. "Jyou… who is being sent?"

"Those who encounter the messenger are those who will depart."

Her mind raced with questions: _Who received those letters? Who did Iori visit? Who is leaving this place? Who? The book…_

Hikari's eyes widened as she snatched the book from Jyou's hands. Her fingers flipped through locks of pages and soon came to the tri-folded piece of paper. Staring at the letter, she dropped the book and stumbled away from Jyou. The letter _was_ meant for Jyou's departure.

"Jyou? N-no… You cannot go!" she exclaimed. Tears rushed to her eyes, being as the only emotion she felt was heartbreak. "Don't go, Jyou! Don't go!"

He lowered his head to look at her and her glossy eyes. "I have no choice, you know that."

Hikari shook her head and stepped forward, throwing her arms around her friend, searching for comfort in return. "Don't go!" she pleaded weakly, "you have no use for war! And surely they have no use for you, Jyou!"

He half-chuckled to keep her amused. "Oh, why thank you for that lovely compliment."

"You know what I mean…" She sniffed and buried her face in his chest. "You are to teach and to doctor those who are uneducated and ill… you have no responsibility carrying a sword…"

"Attempt to tell my father that," he whispered lightly. Kneeling down, he looked through his glasses at the young woman. Her pale face was drowned in shadows and shedding tears. With her bottom lip quivering she made an attempt to speak, but all that came out was a barely audible sigh. Jyou shook his head, unsure of what to say.

"Don't leave me, Jyou," she managed to say. "You… you…" Her voice cracked and she began to sob uncontrollably.

He carefully embraced the younger friend, murmuring kind words into her ear to calm her. With all his attempts, he could not return her composure. Leaning onto him, Hikari rested her head on his shoulder, feeling secure and comforted. Her arms draped lifelessly around his neck as he held onto her, keeping her close and swaying back and forth in slow motions. The tears soon faded.

"I wish you did not have to leave, Jyou," she whispered in the silence, saying his name with endearment that only she could recognize.

"Believe me, I wish the same," he replied. They knelt in the grass during the chilly night; Hikari enwrapped in Jyou's arms. After the last tear was shed, Hikari broke away from the long lasting hold and lowered her eyes.

"Everyone, Jyou?" she asked.

He nodded lightly and felt Hikari's hands tighten into fist against his chest. "Taichi frowned upon the idea of telling you. I see why, now."

"Taichi… Taichi! Oh! No!" her eyes widened again and she pushed away from Jyou. "He is being sent as well?"

Another nod came to her eyes and her clenched fists loosened and covered her mouth in shock. Shaking her head, she asked again; "Are you positive? But-- but he…!"

"I-I should have let him tell you."

"T-Tai?" she jerked her head back towards the building. Then she turned to Jyou again; "D-Daisuke and Takeru, too?"

He nodded once more. "Perhaps you should return to your quarters, Hikari… Taichi can do this comfort thing far more better than I."

She sniffled, but agreed. It was Taichi whom she needed. Jyou stood up and gently rubbed her back, whispering, "Whenever you need to talk to me, however, you know where to find me."

As Hikari neared the doors, she saw a tall figure leaning against the wall. At first she was startled, but she soon relaxed as the figure stepped forward and revealed himself as Taichi.

"Hey…" he said quietly. "What'd you find out up there?"

"That you will be leaving me," she whispered. Taichi's arm draped over her shoulders as he tugged open the doors.

"I won't leave you forever, though. It's just like I am going away to a… a training camp, you know?" he attempted to ease her mind.

"…A training camp…" she echoed as the walked down the silent halls.

Koushiro and Miyako caught them in the main corridor before they escaped down to their laboratory. Both noticed the pain in the younger girl's eyes, but avoided any conversation of it.

"We are working to gain a sedative for the nerves. However we are not doctors," Miyako was saying.

"We are laboratory specialists that come up with delightful little gadgets for such an occasion," finished Koushiro. He glanced at Miyako who was somewhat upset that he interrupted and shrugged innocently. "Actually, I am more lured to Iori's plea for a transportation device. Much like a horse and carriage, but with a self-energized power instead of a horse."

"You have nothing!" Miyako blurted. "You put two wheels together and a seat and you get nothing!"

The redhead raised his finger in the air triumphantly and declared, "Inventions must take their own sweet time, Miyako. And I _will_ finish this project. Mind you, you have not done anything productive down there."

"Oh! Why you…!" Miyako dribbled off her sentence into a low mumble as the two disappeared through the door.

Hikari glanced up at Taichi. "A training camp with experimental sedatives."

The older Yagami chuckled and gestured for them to begin walking again. Before long, the bumped into Takeru and Daisuke who were poking at each other with their fingers, pretending they were swords.

Takeru successfully poked the brunette in the stomach and raised his arms in victory. "And you die as the bastard you really are!" he joked.

Daisuke gave him a look and out of nowhere, he "stabbed" Takeru back before collapsing.

"What? You cheater! A dying man could not stab back!" the blonde protested.

The brother and sister shook their heads and continued down. As they turned the corner, they heard Daisuke saying, "It was my last ounce of strength. You cannot raise your sword in victory until the person has fallen, you know."

"A training camp with experimental sedatives _and_ dying men with random spasms of energy," Hikari pointed out.

"Quiet you… you are not making this any easier."

"Is it supposed to be easy?" Hikari asked as they arrived at the doors to their quarters. "Can you really just block everything out with such humor when you know that in the end, you will still be sent away from home to fight?"

Taichi jerked open the door. "No. But it would damn well help if you didn't make such a big deal about it."

Tears flooded her eyes again. "I-I… Sorry, big brother…" she whispered. "I just do not know how to accept this… Your departure is not something I look forward to…"

He shook his head and sat down on the bed after his sister curled herself under the sheets. "I won't be gone for a long time. I promise. I will be back before you know it. And besides, it is probably weeks before we are even sent a message. Perhaps we will not end up going after--"

His words halted as the eyelids of his sister slowly fell over her eyes. Kissing his sister's forehead, he whispered, "Sweet dreams, kid… Come morning, you will forget about all of this."

"Sir Yagami! Taichi!" a small voice from outside the door caught his attention. Silently slipping from the bed to the door, he opened it enough to see the brown head of the messenger. 

"What is it?" he asked, raising a finger to his lips to signal Hikari's slumber.

Iori stepped back and said in a whisper, "It is the stranger. He has awakened. Sir Kido sent me for you and your father. I suppose the stranger has been in rage, screaming out that enemies are approaching."

Taichi glanced at his sister and the empty bed across the room. "My father and mother are not in right now… But I will go."

He slid out the door and followed the small boy to the private chambers. As the door shut in the Yagami residence, Hikari's eyes drowsily opened.

"Taichi?" she murmured. "You… you said you would… not leave me." Her eyes closed once more as sleep returned to her.

Well, it was a long chapter. Long and boring. But things are supposed to speed up here. Obviously I dropped out of Cynthia's contest. (Seeing as I 'retired' since September.) However, I plan to continue with this series and the rest of my unfinished stories. Progress will be slow… I'm giving my time to work and school. Bah… who ever said a fourteen-year-old had to do so much? ~.~

Anyway… This 'officially announces my un-retirement'. Or… something… o.O;; Hopefully I'll get more time to post more stories.

Thanks to whoever is actually reading this. It means a lot that after about six or seven months, you're still willing to read what I have to offer. Whoo-hoo! I'm back! ^-^


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